Instagram has an amazing 1.38 billion users worldwide, making it the fourth most popular social media platform. 

How popular is it in Australia? Are Aussies as obsessed with sharing Instagram Stories as the rest of the world? 

These 20+ Instagram statistics will give you the answers and more. 

10 Incredible Instagram Facts 

  • Instagram has one billion monthly active users globally.
  • Instagram was the second most downloaded social media app in 2021.
  • Instagram revenue was estimated at USD$24 billion in 2020.
  • 49.2%% of Australians use IG.
  • Aussies spend an average of 7 hours a week on Instagram.
  • The most popular post on Instagram has 55.7 million likes.
  • 9% of Australian Instagram influencers fall in the lifestyle category.
  • 50% of Instagram users follow a business.
  • 79% of brands use Instagram for influencer marketing campaigns.
  • Aussies share over one million IG Stories every day.

Global Instagram Statistics

1. How many people have an Instagram account?

(Backlinko, Statista)

As of January 2022, the number of Instagram monthly active users globally stood at one billion, while 500 million worldwide daily users accessed the app. The largest number of Instagram users are located in India (230.25 million), although the US and Brazil also boast a high number of Instagrammers (159.75 million and 119.45 million, respectively). 

2. Instagram was the second most downloaded social media app in 2021. 

(Forbes, Statista)

With 545 million downloads across the globe, IG is trailing behind Tik Tok, the most downloaded app of 2021. It was also the second most downloaded app in Australia in January 2022, reporting about 262 thousand downloads.

3. Instagram hit one billion users in June 2018. 

(Business of Apps)

Launched on October 6, 2010, it took the site eight years to reach one billion monthly active users. Just for comparison, it took Facebook as long to get to one billion users. 

4. The best time to post on Instagram is between 11 am and 2 pm.

(Sprout Social)

The thing is that the best time to post on social media depends on the platform. When it comes to Instagram, research shows that content posted on Tuesday between 11 am and 2 pm get the highest engagement rates. Posts on weekdays at 11 am also do pretty well.

5. Instagram revenue was estimated at USD$24 billion in 2020. 

(Business Of Apps)

Facebook does not disclose Instagram revenue; however, data from the company and Bloomberg reveals that IG makes up 36.9% of all Facebook revenue, up from just 3.3% back in 2015. 

Instagram Usage Statistics in Australia 

6. 49.2% of Australians use Instagram.

(DataReportal)

Instagram is huge in Australia. The actual number of users is estimated at 12.75 million as of the start of the year, which translates to nearly half of the population. But, seeing as how IG restricts its usage to people aged 13 and over, the number actually increases to 59.1%. 

7. Aussies spend an average of 7 hours a week on Instagram.

(Yellow, Genroe)

Australian Instagram usage statistics reveal that the average time spent per day on the platform is 9 minutes and 3 seconds. This put Insta ahead of Pinterest and Reddit, but behind Linkedin, where Australian internet users spend 11 minutes 11 seconds a day. 

8. 58.6% of Australian Instagrammers are women.

(NapoleonCat, Statista)

Women in Australia seem to be bigger fans of Instagram as more than half of the platforms’ users in the country are female, leaving male users with a 41.4% share.  Globally, though more men than women are using the platform, with a 61.6% and 48.4% share, respectively.

9. 25-34-year-olds are the biggest users of Instagram in Australia.

(NapoleonCat)

Around 3,800,000 25 to 34 year old Assies use IG, making up 29.2% of all users. Next up is the 18 to 24 generation, which takes up 26.1% of all users. Unsurprisingly, older generations do not use the content sharing platform as much—only 6% of the 55 to 64 age bracket and 3.5% of 65+ have joined Insta. 

Influencer Stats and Facts Australia

10. The most popular post on Instagram has 55.7 million likes.

(Statista)

It may seem a little bizarre, but the most liked post on Instagram of all time, with over 55 million likes,  is a picture of an egg. Following the World Record Egg is the photo announcing Christiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez’s twin pregnancy with 32.7 million likes (the most liked post of 2021) and the last image taken of XXXtentacion before his death, with 28.4 million likes. 

11. Marvel’s Thor is the most followed Australian on Instagram. 

(eDigital Agency)

Chris Hemsworth, who has 53+ million followers, tops the list of Aussie celebrities with the highest Instagram follower count. With 30 million followers, Hugh Jackman is in second place, followed by Katherine Langford (25 million), Margot Robbie (23 million) and Ruby Rose (18 million followers). 

12. Russian model Sveta Bilyalova is the biggest Instagram influencer in Australia. 

(StarNgage)

With 6.1 million followers and a 2.30% engagement rate, Sveta Bilyalova is the top influencer among Aussie Instagram users. Indian cricketer Rishab Pant, who has 5.6 million followers, is second, and Emily Skye, a health and fitness instructor, is third, boasting 2.6 million followers. 

13. 9% of Australian Instagram influencers fall in the lifestyle category.

Lifestyle was the biggest category segment, Instagram follower statistics show, followed by beauty and photography, each of which had a 5% share. As expected, the most followed segments on Instagram mirror the leading social commerce brand categories. Speaking of eCommerce in Australia, 50% of social shoppers make purchases through Instagram, putting the platform behind Facebook, which attracts 70% of social shoppers.

Business Brands and Instagram

14. 50% of Instagram users follow a business. 

(Instagram)

In addition to following a company or organisation, Instagram business statistics indicate that 60% of users learn about a product or service through their IG account. 

15. Brands post 11 to 20 times a month. 

(SMPerth)

Recent research into Instagram facts and statistics has shown that 60% of businesses use an interactive element in their posts, including stickers, music and mentions. 

16. 79% of brands use Instagram for influencer marketing campaigns. 

89% of marketers stated that Instagram was the most important social media network for influencer marketing. In terms of actual usage, IG is the go-to platform for influencer marketing for almost 80% of businesses, which according to Instagram marketing stats, is double the number of those who use Facebook for the same purpose. 

If you are interested to see how Instagram stacks up against TikTok in terms of advertising possibilities, take a look at this article. 

17. An increasing number of Australian brands use Instagram. 

(Talkwalker)

Some of the most popular Australian brands on Instagram include:

  • Billabong: 2 million followers
  • Kmart Australia: 1.1 million followers
  • Qantas Airways: 968k followers
  • Lorna Jane: 918k followers
  • Vegemite: 43.4k followers
  • Flight Centre Australia: 166k followers

18. 36% of businesses use IG Stories to promote their products. 

(Pancake Digital Solutions, TRIBE, Instagram)

This feature can be a powerful promotion tool for brands. This is what Instagram Stories stats actually show:

  • A third of the most-viewed Instagram Stories come from businesses.
  • 59% of brands add a shoppable page on Instagram Stories.
  • IG Stories account for 34% of all sponsored content on the platform.
  • 58% of respondents in an Instagram survey stated they became more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Instagram Stories.
  • Using Stories can increase reach by an average of 20%.
  • Stories can lead to 46% better cost per incremental ad recall outcome.

Instagram Features Statistics and Facts 

19. Aussies share over one million Stories every day. 

(SMPerth, Jumper Media)

In terms of global usage, 86.6% of Instagrammers post stories. However, only a third (36.6%) actually watch an Instagram Story, which is much lower than the 63.4% of users who view posts. 

20. Most of the posts on IG are photos. 

(SMperth, EarthWeb)

Over 40 billion photos have been shared on the platform so far, accounting for 71.9% of all posts. Next in line are videos, taking up 14.2% of all posts, while 13.9% are carousels. 

Still, the latest social video stats indicate that IG video posts get twice the engagement of other types of content shared. 

21. An Instagram post has an average of 10.7 hashtags.

(Influencer Marketing Hub, Instagram, Hubspot)

More specifically, the average IG post has 10.743886135116517 hashtags. That said, the median number of hashtags is six, meaning that half of the posts have less than 6 hashtags.  With 2.14 billion photos, #Love is the most popular hashtag. 

Bottom Line

So there you have them! The most important Instagram statistics every marketer and Insta user should know in 2022. Hopefully, they will provide useful when planning your social media marketing campaigns or looking for ways to make some extra money through social media. 

  • Backlinko
  • Business of Apps
  • DataReportal
  • EarthWeb
  • eDigital Agency
  • Forbes
  • Genroe
  • Hubspot
  • Influencer Marketing Hub
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • Instagram
  • Jumper Media
  • NapoleonCat
  • Pancake Digital Solutions
  • SMPerth
  • Sprout Social
  • StarNgage
  • Statista
  • Statista
  • Statista
  • Statista
  • Statista
  • Talkwalker
  • TRIBE
  • Yellow